OUR WELLINGTON LETTER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIII, Issue 15000, 2 November 1899, Page 1

OUR WELLINGTON LETTER

(From Our Own Correspondent.) According to recent news from the Admiralty Cirouj) a, (icrmure named Mitake was killed ana eaten by the natives. Considerable anxiety is felt as to whether the guests at that banquet have felt any ill-ef-fects — a German being probably the most indigestible food known to civilization. 1c is also possible that the Boers, who have a strain, or' German olood, may also be found to be favourable to dyspepsia. Press censorship in war time may be considered by tho military authorities to be necessary in order to prevent the circulation or reports which might be prejudicial to the respective parties. But it must be admitted that in the present struggle in South Africa this censorship has not succeeded in furnishing the world with reliable information. Any ordinary eye-witness or newspaper men would ere this have given a fairly clear idea of how things were progressing, of the losses inflicted, and suffered, aiul a fairly reliable account of the movements of the troops. As it is we are told one day that several thousand Bocks are lulled by the explosion of lyddite mm- s or the pre-arranged oxplosion of dynamite trains, and next that no such event ever took place at all. The statements regarding the actual conflicts in which the Boers and British have come together appear to be equally misleading. At the engagement at Elands Laagate it was reported .^«t 1800 Boers were killed. Considering that only 4000 were engaged altogether, this means practically the whole force were placed hors de combat, for with 1800 killed at least another 2000 must be reckoned upon as wounded. At the same time the British loss is set down at 42 killed and about 300 wounded. These figures are no doubt very comforting from our point of view, but when we como to realise that they are not according to fact, it must considerably detract from the horrible killing propensities that the British troops seemed to be possessed of. Regarding the battle of Ulencoe, which was heralded as such a brilliant victory, it now appears, in the light of subsequent events, to have lost much of its original splendour. By this is nob meant that the B'-j---tish troops did nob nobly uphold their traditions for fighting, but that the battle of Glencoe really took the form of an attack on one of the Boer positions. The fact ithafc Kencoe has ijtself been fince abandoned proves the contention that the engagement was not of a decisive ch.ir.wter. This is tantamount to a retreat, ns the whole country north of Glencoe has been handed over to the Boers tempDrarily, but as such, and for reasons o£ expediency, why should it not be candidly confessed. Our national character is nrt on a par with that of the French, who can never bear with equanimty to hear of a defeat, and if the mere knowledge of a British reverse is going to put the fear uf God in our hearts, tlitn the outlook for the success of British arms in the presert war is a poor one. This Press censureship will likely kill its own goose, for the public, once they see they have been hoaxed, witl certainly not sit qjiietly by 1 and allowed themselves to be stuffed with j all the vain imaginings of the moth-eaten j gentleman presided over by the military S authorities at the Cape.